Skip to main content

Nels Benson

Lead Summary

Nels Benson, 89, Hills, died on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, at the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills.
A funeral service was Friday, Jan. 31, at Palisade Lutheran Church in rural Garretson. Burial was in the church cemetery.
Nels Benson was born on Dec. 19, 1930, to Arthur and Effie (Fuqua) Benson in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He attended District 52 Country School in Rock County for eight years and was the only one in his class. He then attended Garretson High School and graduated in 1948.
Nels served in the United States Army from May 1952 to May 1954. He served in the 101st Airborne and was stationed in Kansas, Georgia, Virginia and Oklahoma. In Oklahoma he spent most of his spare time working on a farm.
On Nov. 20, 1955, he married Gladys Fylling at First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, and they made their home on a farm in rural Garretson. Nels farmed together with his brother, Norm, for a few years. He spent most of his life farming and raising cattle in Springwater and Beaver Creek townships. After his retirement from farming, he enjoyed buying and dealing in equipment. He moved to the Tuff Village in Hills in 2006 and in 2016 to the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills.
Nels was a lifetime member of Palisade Lutheran Church and served on the church council. He served on the Rock County Rural Water Board and was a member of the Cattlemen’s Association and the Henry G. Fix Post No. 23 of the American Legion in Garretson. Nels and Gladys enjoyed going to their sons’ wrestling matches and football games.
Nels is survived by sons Tim (JoEllen) Benson, Beaver Creek, and Dan (Joni) Benson, Worthington; grand-children Kelly (Erin) Tisdell, Katie (Andy) Stoakes, Eric (Adria) Benson, Tyler Benson, Tyler (Carrie) Harberts, Tara Harberts and Tiffany Harberts; five great-grandchildren; and a sister, Joyce Risty, Garretson.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Gladys, on Dec. 21, 2009; and a brother, Norman Benson.
Arrangements were provided by Minnehaha Funeral Home, www.minnehahafuneralhome.com.
 (0206 F)

You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.